offshore to Chesapeake

[chase]

Hi Folks, here’s a not-so-quick snapshot of our recent three week cruise from the Pamlico Sound area of NC to the southern Chesapeake with my CD30 Anne Freeman. The total trip was over 575 miles and was broken into three legs. The first week had some lay days for weather leading up to an offshore passage from Cape Lookout, NC to Chesapeake entrance and Portsmouth, VA. The second week my family drove up from the mountains of NC to join me for a week in Sarah Creek, York River, in the southern Chesapeake. The third week I singlehanded back to NC, via Great Dismal Swamp, Albemarle, Croatan and western Pamlico Sounds.

My offshore mate is a stonemason and heavy equipment operator. He sails offshore with me because he loves to fish, and the fishing is usually good. Jeff had never sailed before our first adventure in a West Wight Potter 19 back in 2004, but he’s kayaked many class 5 rivers and has a great deal of water sense, a level head when things are not going right and the ability to fix things. I’m thankful to have him along on passages.

June 13 we arrive at my mooring on Broad Creek and handle some dead batteries. We head for Beaufort to kill time because of fresh NE winds, not ideal for a NE course around Hatteras in the Gulf Stream or even a trip across the Pamlico to Ocracoke Inlet for that matter. Coming down Adams Creek, the weather alert went off, nasty storms in Beaufort-Morehead. I see them passing in front of me to the S, heading W to E. I stall and let them pass and am lucky to avoid any weather. We call a guy I know that keeps some moorings in Taylors Creek and tie up for the night in Beaufort. After a nice shrimp dinner, we dink back out and crash.

Next morning we hit Beaufort inlet at slack tide and head about 14 nm out to sea for the first tack with one more tack of about that distance back to Cape Lookout bight. We came about to the port tack about mid-afternoon. Jeff was sitting in the companionway and looked back and said very seriously, “Captain, we have a problemâ€

[Andy Denmark]

Hey man,

What an enjoyable read about a great cruise! Glad Hatteras was "kind" to you and that the fishing was good. Those Mahi are great eating! -- raw strips with a little lime juice and a Dark & Stormy make a nice evening repast! I'm jealous !!!

I especially like the trek south from the Chesapeake though I usually go down Currituck, Albemarle Sound & Alligator River & A/P canal then via Belhaven (Pungo Creek anchorage) to home. Like to go out the Pamlico River and around Brant Island Shoal to the Neuse & then to either Broad Creek or South River. Great for single handing!

Keep her going, my man. Look forward to a visit on Aug 9-10 to get more details. The D & S supplies need to be replenished so I'll get to that.

Andy
________
Toyota tf102 history

[Jay B.]

I really enjoyed reading this. Being new to sailing as well as eager to fish from my boat, this really inspired me. Though most of my trips will be in the Chesapeake I hope to have similar experiences. I would love to cruise in the area you worte about since I spend alot of time down in the outer banks and it all sounds familiar to me.

Great report!

[chase]

Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed it. I also enjoy reading other accounts, that's why I wrote it. Bill's recent log to Chesapeake is the one that got me tapping on the keyboard, along with a other friend in the Marquesas on his Alberg 30. Jay, I'm pretty new to sailing too, if it aint obvious. If you get big ideas about running inlets etc, post here on the board and some of these old salts may save your arse as they did mine.

Andy, thanks buddy, we'll see you in Aug-

Chase

[barfwinkle]

Great Read Chase. Aren't those Dolphins wonderful.

Fair Winds

PS Chase

a: were those steaks every frozen?
b: How long will they last on ice?
c: will chicken hold in the same manner?

TIA

[chase]

Hey Bill, fish is great and all but every one knows that 7 days without beef makes one weak! (An old cattlemen's bumper sticker)

I brought them frozen, vacuum sealed. If kept cold I would eat them for a couple of weeks, and did. My country meat processor, one of three I work with, keeps a quarter of beef hanging for weeks in his walk-in. When he wants something for dinner, he cuts it off and scrapes the good molds off. Now that's extreme, but shows you that beef can really age well in the cool. Caveat though, mine is farm-grown grassfed beef processed by a good abbatoir. Commercial beef from feedlots is often tainted with e-coli so be wary of extra aging. In general if it smells good, eat it.

Chicken is another story. I only eat it fresh and have never really taken it except for at the dock.

I also enjoyed your log very much and meant to say so, it is great to make new friends on the water. I can relate to the T-storms, and whenever possible I try to anchor by 1500. Sometimes you can't and I just got plain lucky when singlehanding home.

Chase

[barfwinkle]

Thanks Chase

I doubt if I can get any organic beef in this area. I thought the chicken might be a bit dicey.

Starting last year and again this year, I canned several different meat/dishes (meat balls in sauce, chicken breast, stroghnoff (sp), chili con carne etc) and I have eaten some of last years just prior to departing for the Bay. However, the meat balls in particular, definitely have an over cooked texture to them. They taste fine, it's just the texture.

Having this stuff canned, while it is pre-trip work, is really nice on the boat. I intended to can some pork chops/loin but ran our of time.

Fair winds and glad to hear you had such a great trip. What dates were you on the York?

[Evergreen]

Chase:

Your write up of your adventure is excellent!!! One really feels like they are there with you as you describe things. The added photos and video clips are the icing on the cake.

Perhaps sometime you could write another short piece and share with the rest of us some of the techniques used for successful trolling: such as type of lure; diving vs surface lure; how fast; how far behind the boat; and any other useful information. Many of us enjoy fishing while sailing but I am willing to bet few have as good luck as you describe. Please share some of your insights.

Anyway, thanks again for the great story.

[chase]

Hey Philip and Sharon, sorry for delay. I have to give ALL of the fishing credit to the mate, I just provide a sweet Cape Dory that goes 4-6 kts for a few days. Here's the novice skippers take on offshore fishing after a few successful trips:

If you really want to catch fish you have to have someone that really pays it some attention. Jeff is planning the next day's fishing each evening and every daylight hour there is at least one rig in the water and usually two, unless it is really rough or a fish is being gaffed or filleted. Any more rigs and it is not practical, unless you are just motoring. I don't really put much into the planning as I'm focused on running the boat.

There is often tension between captain and angler as Jeff will want to divert course for some birds on the horizon or a charted underwater feature, etc and sometimes I don’t want to divert at all. “You can have whatever fish pass under this boat on a heading of 50°â€